Leader of U.S. Catholic bishops decries social justice movements as 'pseudo-religion'

[Jilly_in_VA]

Archbishop José H. Gomez, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, railed against “new social justice movements” during a speech Thursday, decrying them as “pseudo-religions” that ultimately serve as “dangerous substitutes for true religion.”

Gomez, who heads the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, delivered the remarks in a video message sent to a meeting of the Congress of Catholics and Public Life in Madrid. The prelate argued that the United States, like Europe, has been subject to “aggressive secularization,” insisting that “there has been a deliberate effort in Europe and America to erase the Christian roots of society and to suppress any remaining Christian influences.”

He also lambasted “cancel culture,” contending that “often what is being canceled and corrected are perspectives rooted in Christian beliefs.”

But Gomez saved his most strident criticism for “new social movements and ideologies,” the influence of which, he said, accelerated after the murder of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer in May 2020.

Although Gomez noted that Floyd’s killing was “a stark reminder that racial and economic inequality are still deeply embedded in our society,” he suggested that the movements that inspired related demonstrations last year have been “unleashed in our society” and serve as replacements for “traditional Christian beliefs.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2021/11/05/catholic-bishop-gomez-social-justice/
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This is how divorced the US bishops are from much of their flock My daughter's Catholic HS has a religion class called SOCIAL JUSTICE in the early 90s and they discussed exactly the subjects he's screaming about!

[Thomas Hurt]

1. Nice, the archbishop whining about social justice when that is AFAIK a hallmark of Catholicism...

[rurallib]

5. Yes indeed - the Catholic Teachings on Social Justice

I pulled up this thread simply because what this bishop says is 180 degrees opposite from what I learned in 12 years of Catholic schools.

But If I recall, it is what John Paul II preached during his visit to South America back in the 90s?

While I am a long, long fallen away catholic, I always looked at their teachings on social justice as one of the few things in organized religion that was good.

[ColinC]

2. Curious how many of these guys were appointed by Pope Francis?

Such a weird thing to say from a bishop.

[hlthe2b]

3. These Opus dei/RW Catholic Bishops are why I worry that the Pope may not have sufficient protection.

They are so opposed to what he stands for that I take seriously the suggestion that there may have been plots against his life. The highly vocal Anti-Francis Cardinal Burke was supposedly linked with Steve Bannon during his time in Italy--while the latter was trying to develop a "populist" force to combat "neoliberalism." I'd be hard-pressed to consider any such rumors out of the realm of possibility.

[gratuitous]

4. So tell us, Archbishop

What would the proper, Christian, traditional response be to the murder of George Floyd by torture in broad daylight on a public street? Should we all write encyclicals in Latin?

[BootinUp]

6. Or are religious leaders becoming more political?

[Solly Mack]

7. Oh, fuck him too.

I'm in a "fuck you" mood today.

That would be the general "you"...which I've directed at specific right-wingers today.

[ck4829]

8. Where is this energy for racism, unrestrained corporate greed, or for billionaires?

[UTUSN]

9. Do he say anything about BIDEN receiving communion in Rome, called a "good Catholic"? Hmm.

Does he say anything about his assistant to the Conference having to resign over some kind of (sex?) charges? Hmm.

[Faux pas]

10. ...

[OnDoutside]

11. The problem is that the religious zealots have been emboldened

From the latter stages of JPII but particularly since Ratzinger. Many moderates have left the church or have been sidelined.

[musette_sf]

12. I decry religion as

"psuedo-rationality".

[OAITW r.2.0]

13. They are a ruling class of Catholics that encourage their own in the up and coming ranks. Republican

Usually, church business ($) first, the flock as an after thought. Nor surprised really, the "social justice" Catholics - priests and congregation - have pretty much abandoned their presence in this corporation.

[muriel_volestrangler]

14. Because "true" religions involve the supernatural, superstition, and blind faith

in things unseen and unprovable. Which is what Gomez loves, especially that "blind faith" bit, because he's near the top of the pile, and that means he now gets to tell everyone else what to do.

If he was capable of self-examination, he'd wonder why his own "traditional Christian beliefs" didn't seem to worry too much about a murder, because he's long ago decided "social justice" wouldn't get him to the top of his hierarchy.

[dalton99a]

15. U.S. bishops are as much responsible for Donald Trump as evangelicals

Goddamn fascists

[multigraincracker]

16. It does not sound like Archbishop Jos H. Gomez

was trained by Franciscans.

[shrike3]

17. Seven themes of Catholic social teaching

1. the Life and Dignity of the Human Person,

2) the Call to Family, Community, and Participation,

3) Rights and Responsibilities,

4) the Option for the Poor and Vulnerable,

5) The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers,

6) Solidarity,

7) Care for God’s Creation.

Catholic Social Teaching's foundations are widely considered to have been laid by Pope Leo XIII's 1891 encyclical letter Rerum novarum, which advocated economic distributism. It can a;sp be traced to the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Augustine of Hippo.

[marie999]

18. So he doesn't want Catholics to follow Jesus.

[hunter]

19. My own social justice activism is solidly rooted in Catholicism and Christian Pacifism.

But I would never claim that there is only one true path on that long arc towards justice and I celebrate that some of those paths are godless.

I don't recall as an infant soul, not yet made of meat, choosing which family or community or nation or religion I'd be born into.

The authoritarian Catholics sound more and more like the authoritarian Orthodox and Evangelical Churches. We are the one true way! But it won't be long now before they find some commonality with conservative Islam, Hinduism, etc.

All the authoritarian religions and ideologies seem to be cut from the same cloth. They probably read the same newsletters posted directly from hell, and they are constantly testing the boundaries of their influence like street gangs.

The ethical universe recognizes no boundaries.

[Iggo]

20. Kid-fucker-aplologist says what?

[malaise]

21. Seriously thee people are both depraved

and sick

[Ron Green]

22. Dorothy Day would have kicked this guy's ass.

He’s a tool of the 1%.

[hunter]

24. Absolutely.

And that's what they are most afraid of.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Day

[Boomerproud]

23. We have a Social Justice group at my church.

What the (cough) bishop is talking about in that stupid speech is the antithesis of Christs' teaching.